Renewables-Based Technology: Sustainability Assessment(Wiley Series in Renewable Resource)

Renewables-Based Technology: Sustainability Assessment Sustainability is a key driving force for industries in the chemical, food, packaging, agricultural and pharmaceutical sectors, and quantitative sustainability indicators are being incorporated into company reports. This is driving the uptake of renewable resources and the adoption of renewables. Renewables' can either be the substituted raw materials that are used in a given industry, (e.g. the use of biomass for fuel); the use and/or modification of a crop for use in a new industry (e.g. plant cellulose), or the reuse of a waste product (e.g. organic waste for energy production). This is the first book in the Wiley Renewable Resources series that brings together the range of sustainability assessment methods and their uses. Ensuing books in the series will look at individual renewable materials and applications.

Table of Contents:
Contributors xv Foreword xvii Series Preface xix Preface xxi List of Abbreviations xxiii Part I Renewables as a Resource and Sustainability Performance Indicators 1 1 The Contribution of Renewables to Society 3 Göran Berndes 1.1 Introduction 3 1.2 Historic and Present Biomass Uses for Food, Energy and Materials in the World 6 1.3 Potential Availability of Agricultural Residues and Land for Non-Food Crop Production 8 1.4 Drivers Behind Increasing Demand for Biomass for Energy and Materials 10 1.5 Land Use Competition 12 1.6 Multifunctional Biomass Production Systems 14 1.7 Summary 16 2 The Potential of Renewables as a Feedstock for Chemistry and Energy 19 Wilfried G. J. H. M. van Sark, Martin K. Patel, André P. C. Faaij and Monique M. Hoogwijk 2.1 Introduction 19 2.2 Supply of Energy and Materials Using Renewables 21 2.3 Demand for Energy and Materials 31 2.4 Summary 34 3 Sustainability Performance Indicators 39 Alexei Lapkin 3.1 Introduction 39 3.2 The Hierarchy of Sustainability Metrics 40 3.3 Aspects of Methodology 42 3.4 Examples of Sustainability Metrics for Technology Assessment 46 3.5 Summary 51 Part II Relevant Assessment Tools 55 4 Life Cycle Inventory Analysis Applied to Renewable Resources 57 Niels Jungbluth and Rolf Frischknecht 4.1 Introduction 57 4.2 Conceptual Background to LCA in ISO 14040ff 58 4.3 Goal and Scope Definition 59 4.4 Inventory Analysis 59 4.5 LCI Data Documentation and Exchange Format 68 4.6 Consequential versus Attributional LCI 69 4.7 Summary 70 5 Net Energy Balancing and Fuel-Cycle Analysis 73 Hosein Shapouri, Michael Wang and James A. Duffield 5.1 Introduction 73 5.2 Methodology 75 5.3 Energy Balance of Fossil Fuel versus Biofuel 79 5.4 Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Corn Ethanol Production 83 5.5 Summary 84 6 Life Cycle Assessment as an Environmental Sustainability Tool 87 Adisa Azapagic 6.1 Introduction 87 6.2 The LCA Methodology: A Brief Overview 88 6.3 LCIA Impact Categories as Indicators of Environmental Sustainability 93 6.4 Using LCA to Assess Environmental Sustainability 105 6.5 Summary 108 7 Exergy 111 Jo Dewulf and Herman Van Langenhove 7.1 Introduction 111 7.2 Assessment of Sustainability of Technology: Developing Metrics 113 7.3 A Thermodynamic Basis for Developing Sustainability Assessment Metrics: Exergy 114 7.4 Technology Assessment by Exergy Analysis 116 7.5 Exergy-Based Indicators: How to Assess the Role of Renewables 117 7.6 Exergy-based Indicators: Integrating the Role of Renewables in an Overall Physical Chemical Sustainability Assessment 122 7.7 Summary 123 8 Material Flow Analysis and the Use of Renewables from a Systems Perspective 127 Stefan Bringezu 8.1 Introduction 127 8.2 Overview of the Methodology 128 8.3 Examples of MFA Studies in the Context of Renewables 130 8.4 Summary 139 9 Ecological Footprints and Biocapacity: Essential Elements in Sustainability Assessment 143 William E. Rees 9.1 Introduction 143 9.2 Eco-Footprint Analysis 144 9.3 Inherent Strengths in EFA 150 9.5 Summary 155 10 The Sustainable Process Index (SPI) 159 Michael Narodoslawsky and Anneliese Niederl 10.1 Introduction 159 10.2 Computation of the SPI 162 10.3 Case Study: Biodiesel from Used Vegetable Oil 168 10.4 Summary 170 Part III Case Studies 173 11 Assessment of Sustainable Land Use in Producing Biomass 175 Helmut Haberl and Karl-Heinz Erb 11.1 Introduction 175 11.2 Sustainability Issues Involved in Promoting Biomass Energy 177 11.3 Recommendations 186 11.4 Summary 187 12 Assessment of the Forest Products Industries 193 Klaus Richter, Frank Werner and Hans-Jörg Althaus 12.1 Introduction 193 12.2 Metrics and Criteria to Assess the Sustainability of Forestry 195 12.3 Metrics and Criteria for Assessing the Sustainability of the Wood Industry 198 12.4 Scope for Action 205 12.5 Summary 205 13 Assessment of the Energy Production Industry: Modern Options for Producing Secondary Energy Carriers from Biomass 209 André Faaij 13.1 Introduction 209 13.2 Technology Overview 210 13.3 Economics of Biomass Energy Systems 224 13.4 Heat, Power and Fuels from Biomass: Key Markets 225 13.5 Summary 227 14 Assessment of Biofuels 231 James A. Duffield, Hosein Shapouri and Michael Wang 14.1 Introduction 231 14.2 Background 231 14.3 Biofuel Feedstocks 232 14.4 Bio-Transportation Fuels and Fuel Additives 234 14.5 Current Supply of Biofuels 235 14.6 Future Supply of Biofuels 236 14.7 Measuring the Sustainability of Biofuels 238 14.8 Summary 243 15 Assessment of Organic Waste Treatment 247 Jan-Olov Sundqvist 15.1 Introduction 247 15.2 General Description of Options for Organic Waste Treatment 247 15.3 Environmental Characteristics of Organic Waste Treatment 249 15.4 Results of a Life Cycle Assessment of Organic Waste 250 15.5 Discussion 262 15.6 Summary 262 16 Oleochemical and Petrochemical Surfactants: An Overall Assessment 265 Erwan Saouter, Gert Van Hoof, Mark Stalmans and Alan Brunskill 16.1 Introduction 265 16.2 Main Chemical and Structural Differences 267 16.3 Resource and Usage 268 16.4 Environmental Profile 270 16.5 Sustainability Aspects of Oleochemical Production 276 16.6 Summary 278 17 Assessment of Bio-Based Packaging Materials 281 Andreas Detzel, Martina Krüger and Axel Ostermayer 17.1 Introduction 281 17.2 Environmental Aspects of Polymer Production 283 17.3 Environmental Aspects of Packaging Disposal 287 17.4 Summary 295 18 Assessment of Biotechnology-Based Chemicals 299 Peter Saling and Andreas Kicherer 18.1 Introduction 299 18.2 Explanation: What is Eco-Efficiency Analysis? 300 18.3 Evaluation of Decision-making Processes with Eco-Efficiency Analysis 307 18.4 Case Studies 308 18.5 Summary 311 19 Assessment of Bio-Based Pharmaceuticals: The Cephalexin Case 315 Alle Bruggink and Peter Nossin 19.1 Introduction 315 19.2 Assessment Methods During Process Development and Technology Transfers 316 19.3 Assessment of Bio-Based Routes to Cephalexin 322 19.4 Summary 328 Part IV Conclusions 331 20 Conclusions 333 Jo Dewulf and Herman Van Langenhove 20.1 Introduction 333 20.2 The Available Sustainability Metrics 334 20.3 Where Are We Going in Assessing Renewables-Based Technology? 336 Reference 337 Index 339

About the Author :
Editors: Prof Dr Jo Dewulf, Prof Dr Herman van Langenhove, both of Ghent University, Belgium. Both experienced researchers in environmental chemistry and clean technology.